Not content with upstaging Kerry’s French kiss (‘our oldest ally’) – Obama gave us Brits a hug (‘our closest ally’) – the Prez entered even deeper archival waters with a reference to the USA as ‘the oldest constitutional democracy’.
Well! Where to start? If he had said ‘written’ it would be easier to swallow – since our well-informed schoolboy is aware that the UK’s constitution ain’t – at least not in one convenient volume; and nor was the constitution of any of the other oft-quoted candidates for the honour – like Ancient Greece, Iceland or the Isle of Man. We of course prefer the term ‘parliamentary’ to make our claim to being first, ignoring inter alia the three just mentioned.
But why, you may ask, did Obama make the claim at all? Backside is of the opinion that the White House speech-writers cannot resist any opportunity to reasssure the citizenry that Uncle Sam might make warm noises about his friends abroad but they’d better not forget who really brought power to the people first. In the beginning was Uncle Sam. The word was with Uncle Sam and the word was Uncle Sam. Amen.
Just occasionally the Great British Public’s voice is heard above the political and diplomatic babble. We don’t want to fire another shot from the hip at another Arab despot whose behaviour we can’t stomach. We don’t accept the ‘findings of the security community’ as justification for intervening in somebody else’s war. We don’t do gun-boats any more or buy into the ‘judgement calls’ of an over-zealous Cabinet. We think the grand ole US of A can please its bloody self, kill some putative terrorists and regret its actions later – or not. We are separated by more than a common language from their culture, their obsession with Israel and their lack of perspective on most important issues.
Boadicea's Chariot 
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